Town Square

Disappointment

Original post made
by David, Alamo,
on Jul 31, 2013

While walking on the Iron Horse trail on Sunday I noticed 2 dogs locked in a vehicle in the Lunardi's parking lot. I waited 15 minutes so see if the owner returned. After waiting and no one returned I placed a call to the police department. I waited another 30 minutes for them to arrive. Once the arrived the just hung out there for 15 minutes or so just looking at the dogs. Sure it was only about 80 degrees on that day but the car was parked in the sun. So by now an hour had passed and all the officers did were what to me looked like that they wrote a note and put it in the window and left.
If you are going to walk the trail please leave the pets at home. And if you are an officer and get a call about pets locked in a hot car please do something besides writing a note and placing it in their window. To me it sends the wrong message.

Doesn't Lunardi's have a PA system? It's remarkable to me that those dogs weren't overcome in the typical Danville summer heat over the course of an hour. I appreciate your caring, and think that contacting the store managers nearby would have been a likely useful tactic. Your message might go something like this:

"There's a locked car in your parking lot with dogs in it. They are in distress from the heat, and can't shed it easily by panting. I will not stand idly by and witness cruelty. So before I break the window on that car to give those pups some relief, I'd like to ask you to announce the situation to your shoppers, so that one of them can avoid a big repair bill."

EVery year, dogs -- and children -- die in hot cars driven by adults who should know better. I can assure you -- and that driver -- that there are folks like me out there for whom the life of the animal is more precious than your car window. It's a last resort, but I would, and will take it to save the animal first, and worry about whether a court might disapprove later.

The cops, for their part could have called County Animal Control, but Martinez is a ways away under the best scenario.

The car was parked close to the train museum. So by where the car was parked one would assume that they were on a walk. I don't know anyone that would park that far away to shop. If it was parked closer to the store I would have had the store do a page. But I still feel the police could have done something other than leave a note. I do have the make/model of the vehicle as well as the plate number. But decided against posting that information.